MN Governor Vetoes ALEC Template Bills

Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton criticized Republicans for trying to quickly pass a set of bills lifted from a right-wing groups “boot camp manual”. Governor Dayton said the the four bills he vetoed Friday would have changed how corporations can be sued and were “just another ploy by the Republican majorities as they provide their special interest friends, the rich and the powerful, with more favoritism and favors at the expense of most other Minnesotans. ”

“These bills are laughably referred to as ‘jobs bills’, Governor Dayton told a press conference. ” Well calling a crow a swan doesn’t make it one. These bills impact on job impact in job creation in Minnesota would be negligible. The real impact would be to reduce the right of law abiding citizens and businesses to seek justice from the wrong doing of others. ”

The first-term DFL Governor held up a pamphlet and said “Three of the four bills come right from this manual “tort reform bootcamp” , published by the American Legislative Exchange Council or ALEC. This is the same group who reportedly provided legislators last week with all expense paid trips to posh Florida hotel for what they call an education policy conference.

“It is an extremely conservative group funded largely by large corporations, big business associations, insurance companies and very wealthy individuals.

“I’ve found that Minnesotans do not want their laws written by the lobbyists of big corporations.

“Since these Republican bills so closely follow ALEC’s instructions on tort reform and since ALEC’s opinion on these subjects are evidently more important to Republican legislators than mine , their fellow DFL legislators or the Minnesota Supreme Court’s, perhaps they would share with us all of the other ALEC boot camp manuals so we can know in advance what to expect from them for the rest of the session.

“If Republicans want to continue to prove to Minnesotans that they are too extreme to lead they should continue to throw ALEC’s ideology at us.

“If they want to begin to govern responsibly and work collaboratively, pass real jobs legislation, and my three measures have not even been taken up, real jobs legislation that will put Minnesotans back to work, then I’m ready to work with them.